1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a unique binder for both releasable and permanently bound documents.
2. Background of the Related Art
Today, huge amounts of printed and handwritten information is stored on flexible sheets while thin objects and collections of sheets are stored in pockets manufactured onto these sheets. All sheets are herein below referred to as pages. Many of these pages are organized sequentially into documents. Many documents held in a binding mechanism are mounted between two rigid or semi-rigid panels herein below referred to also as front and back covers. When referred to together the front and back covers are referred to as covers. Furthermore, documents are bound releasably or non-releasably releasably to a rigid or semi-rigid spine that the two above covers are flexibly attached such that they may freely rotate around the spine. The entire set of three panels along with the above binding mechanism are herein below referred to as a binder.
Classically, a binder takes the form of a hardback or soft back book, spiral notebook, ringed notebook, and a host of other permanent or releasable binder systems. In all cases, the flexible joint between the spine and the two covers allows each cover to be independently rotated so that both covers of the binder lie flat on a planar surface allowing opposing sides of each pair of pages to be viewed simultaneously for reading and/or marking.
A review of prior art reveals a rich history behind today""s binding systems. Much attention has been paid to optimizing various binding mechanisms to increase their functionality within the strict limits of a rigid or semi-rigid spine. Prior art patents extend back into the 1800""sxe2x80x94for example Emerson""s (U.S. Pat. No. 102,237) Temporary Binder. Schild (U.S. Pat. No. 659,860) introduced a more flexible binder system but required that the rings be placed on the outside of the cover which requires an open back. Pain et al. (Foreign Pat. No. 6047) also provided the same type of flexibility and again, placed the rings on the outside of the binder without the means to keep them aligned. Grumbacher (U.S. Pat. No. 2,147,369) introduced a spiral binder for permanently bound documents. Emmer (U.S. Pat. No. 2,638,902) proposed a flexible flat ring model with continuous rigid spine as part of the ring system. Gregory (U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,229) provided a flexible tubular binder without rings. Nackenson (U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,240) utilized a round back spring binder that provided an unusual means of adding and removing pages to a bound document. Prior art of this type extends up to the present and is extensive.
These and other prior art reviewed fail to allow a plurality of important features to be present together in one design. These consist of a larger degree as rotation of the covers such that the outside surfaces of each cover lies flat on top of the other cover in the presence of a spine. They fail to allow for a plurality of binding rings that may be rotated around the long axis of the binder thereby allowing each page to be rotated on the plurality of binding rings such that each page may lie flat on the inside surface of either cover or on top of another page. And, they fail to allow a plurality of pages to be easily added or removed from the binder without requiring that part or all of a document be removed first.
For example, as presently designed, spiral binding systems only allow a limited capacity to more fully rotate pages of very thin documents and do not allow for the easy removal or addition of a plurality of pages anywhere in the document without requiring that some or all of the pages in the binder be removed first.
Furthermore, standard multiple ring binders allow for easy removal or addition of a plurality of pages anywhere in the document but do not allow the covers to rotate such that the outside surface of each cover lies flat on the outside surface of the other cover and do not allow the ring binder to rotate independently of the covers.
Furthermore, the prior art does not allow for the individual pages to be rotated such that they lie flat on the inside surface of either cover or on top of another page when the binder is opened beyond 180 degrees.
Furthermore, the rings in the prior art are rigidly attached to the spine thereby interfering with a right handed person writing on pages rotated to the left of the rings and a left handed person writing on the pages rotated to the right of the rings.
Furthermore, the prior art binders require twice the surface area on a desk or table when fully open for use than when closed.
Furthermore, it is very difficult to open, view, rotate, and mark on pages of the prior art when the prior art binder is held open in the hands and not placed on a flat stable surface.
Each of these features and many others not discussed above are key requirements for developing a useful binder that provides the user with a convenient means of adding, removing, viewing, and marking on a plurality of pages placed in a binder.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an improved binder that allows for the creation of both permanent and releasably bound documents that take up less space when opened, do not interfere with writing on each side of the pages, and can be easily carried and used when open.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a releasable binding system with the flexibility to open to virtually any degree beyond that provided by prior art binding systems while allowing the presence of a spine.
A further object of this invention is to provide for the bound pages therein to be laid flat for viewing and/or marking on either side.
A further object of this invention is to provide for the folding of one cover back onto the other cover while still allowing the bound pages therein to be laid flat for viewing and/or marking.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a pivoting binding system that allows the pages to lie flat on top of the inside surface of either cover or on top of another page when the binder is fully opened.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a binding system allowing the binder to take up far less space than the prior art binders when fully opened and placed on a flat surface.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a binding system allowing for the addition or removal of a plurality of pages without requiring that all or a part of the pages already bound be removed first.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a binding system allowing for the marking of either surface of the bound pages without obstruction from the binding rings.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a binding system allowing for the holding of a fully opened flexible binder in one hand allowing for a stable platform such that the other hand may be used to rotate and mark the bound pages.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a binding system allowing for retrofitting with a removable panel such that the resulting binder looks and functions like prior art binders when required.